Reviews

The Doll Trilogy: Kid Stakes, Other Times, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll

By Ray Lawler. Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre, Melbourne. 10 February – 11 April 2026

Cane cutter mates Roo (Ben Prendergast) and Barney (John Leary) come down from Queensland in the off season – or ‘layoff’.  By chance, they run into a couple of girls – Olive (Ngaire Dawn Fair) and Nancy (Emily Goddard) – at the aquarium and end up as boarders and more at the Carlton boarding house run by Olive’s mother Emma (Caroline Lee).

I Thought You Said

By Bronte Lemaire. A Theatre Works Fresh Works presentation. Theatre Works & Tip Toe Theatre. Explosives Factory. 25 February – 7 March 2026

This provocative and intelligent two-hander makes us laugh – and also squirm at its veracity.  The blurb asks, if the world is ending, ‘…what kind of person do you want to be at the end of the world?’  In essence, I Thought You Said is about the rage and frustration caused by a terrible contemporary paradox.  While it may seem utterly futile to protest about the injustice and corruption and cruelty in the world, one still feels one must (should?) protest to be ‘a good person’. 

A Soldier’s Song

By Ken Lukowiak, adapted for the stage by Guy Masterton. Fringe World. Old Mill Theatre, South Perth, WA. Jan 31 - Feb 5, 2026

A Soldier’s Song was a very simple and beautiful piece of theatre that held its audience in respectful silence throughout the hour long show.

Ken Lukowiak is a Falklands Island Veteran who served with the British Army in Northern Ireland and The Falklands, after growing up in Kalgoorlie Western Australia. A beautiful speaker whose story comes from his own book, the story was adapted for the stage by Guy Masterton.

Maybe He’s Born With It, Maybe It’s ADHD

By Colin Ebsworth. Fringe World. The Gold Digger, The Pleasure Garden, Northbridge, WA. Feb 4-8, 2026

Colin Ebsworth’s show, perhaps predictably, went a little off track on the night I reviewed, perhaps a sign of the titular ADHD. Starting late through no fault of this show, it was derailed by Colin recognising his former teacher in the audience (who is referenced in the show), by a witty retort from an audience member that had Colin rolling on the floor with laughter, and by a drunk audience member, leaving early to catch an Uber, who took us on a lengthy love-fest tangent.

The Soccer Actress

By Lucia Mallardi. Fringe World. Old Mill Theatre, South Perth WA. Jan 24-Feb 14, 2026

The Soccer Actress is a dynamic autobiographical play by Italian actress, Lucia Mallardi. It played a split season during Fringe World at the Old Mill Theatre.

Lucia keeps her audience rapt during her hour long show as she talks about growing up in rural Italy, being the only girl interested in soccer in her town, playing professional soccer in Italy then Germany, before combining her love for acting, with her soccer skills - which eventually led to this show, with which she has travelled the world.

Dragon I

By Adam Kelly and James Berlyn. Perth Festival. Directed by James Berlyn. Subiaco Arts Centre, WA. Feb 26 - Mar 1, 2026

Dragon I is a show written by and starring Adam Kelly. Adam Kelly is obsessed with dragons and has written (an unpublished) book series featuring his favourite creations. In this hour-long play, co-written with director James Berlyn, and collaborator Jade Del Borrello, Adam ponders what would happen if he let AI finish his book series.

Brand New Dress

By Andy Freeborn. QTOPIA Sydney – The Loading Dock Theatre, Forbes Street, Darlinghurst. February 23 to March 1, 2026

It’s no surprise that queer cabaret artist Andy Freeborn writes and sings about themselves.  Talking about yourself is logical for any young solo artist, especially in this current wave of theatre from trans performers with so many stories newly heard.  But with just a keyboard for company, Andy is such an intelligent lyricist and expressive fantasist that their songs speak way beyond their spotlight.

Meow Meow’s The Red Shoes

By Meow Meow. Perth Festival. Directed by Kate Champion. His Majesty’s Theatre, Hay St, Perth. WA. Feb 26 -Mar 1. 2026

Meow Meow’s The Red Shoes is inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s tragic tale of The Red Shoes. A star vehicle for Meow Meow (the alter ego of Melissa Madden Gray), this is a big production that fills His Majesty’s Theatre, with this building’s grandeur a perfect space for this dark tale.

Theatre to Die For

By Thomas Dimmick, Christopher Durang and Bruce Fisk. Directed by Siobhan Vincent, Nera Campanovo and Robert Walker. Garrick Theatre, Meadow St, Guildford, WA. Feb 5-14, 2026

Garrick Theatre, renowned for its ghost, started 2026 with its darkly themed One Act Season, Theatre to Die For, featuring three very different short plays, all with darker themes.

The Cherry Orchard

By Anton Chekov. LG Arts Center. Festival Theatre. Adapted and directed by Simon Stone. Adelaide Festival. 27 February – 1 March 2026.

As part of the Adelaide Festival, LG Arts Center’s production of The Cherry Orchard was nothing short of extraordinary. A reimagining of Anton Chekhov’s play that was boldly and brilliantly adapted for modern Seoul by Simon Stone and while Chekhov’s original focus on loss, change and social upheaval remains timelessly relevant, Stone’s interpretation sharpens its urgency through the lens of three generations of a Korean chaebol family confronting collapse in a rapidly shifting world.

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